Double pane wire-reinforced glass and method of producing the same



July 17, 1962 w. LERCH 3,044,159

DOUBLE PANE WIRE-REINFORCED GLAss AND METHOD OF PRODUCING THE SAME FlledJuly 22 1958 l/VVE/VTOR WALTEK EXC# M 7 r m7 Unite States arent3,044,159 DOUBLE PANE WRE-RENFORCED GLASS AND METHD F PRODUClNG TEE SAMEWalter Leren, Gelsenkirchen-Schalke, Germany, assignor to GiasundSpiegel-Manufactur Aktiengesellschaft,

Gelsenkirchen-Schalke, Germany Filed July 22, 195g, Ser. No. 750,207Claims priority, application Germany Mar. 29, 1958 2 Claims. (Cl.29-419) The present invention relates to double-pane glass units made ofwire-reinforced glass, and to a method of producing the same.

In all glass structures which form the ceiling of a room or which areinstalled into the ceiling, for example, in horizontally placed glasspanes or glass panes for roofs of manufacturing plants, sawmills, sheds,and the like, it is advisable for reasons of safety to usewirereinforced glass. In many countries, such glass is even prescribedby law for this purpose in order to prevent any injuries to personswhich might be in the rooms below such glass-covered structures in theevent of a de struction thereof. Consequently, in most houses ormanufacturing plants any horizontal or inclined glass panes consist ofwire-reinforced glass or other shatterproof types of glass. Such use ofwire-reinforced or similar shatterproof glass which has beenconventional for many years has, however, the disadvantage that therooms covered thereby will be excessively cooled and that such glasspanes will be easily covered by water condensing thereon.

Although these disadvantages could be easily avoided by the use ofseveral parallel panes of glass, as it is conventional in verticalwindows, an upper glass covering of this'type for rooms, for example, byhorizontal glass panes, is very impractical, complicated, and expensiveif it requires several wire-reinforced glass panes to be mounted inseparate frames.

There has been already a considerable production and use of varioustypes of so-called insulating glass, for example, in the form ofdouble-pane units, in which two or more panes of glass are combined intoa unit at a certain distance from each other so as to avoid thenecessity of a double frame. Such double-pane units can be easily ttedinto a single window frame. These known double-pane units consist of twospaced parallel glass panes which are combined with a metallic spacingstrip by solder and attain a considerable degree of insulation againstheat or cold, as Well as sound. The hermetical sealing of the edges ofsuch unit also prevents absolutely any penetration of dust and moisturebetween the individual panes.

Although it has been possible to make such doublepane units of allconventional types of glass, it has so far been impossible to make themof wire-reinforced glass. Therefore, wherever horizontal or inclinedglass panes were required, such double-pane units could not be used.

Although in the manufacture of insulating glass which consists of acombination of glass and metal by means of a soldered-on strip of lead,many efforts have also been made to use wire-reinforced glass, they haveso far proved of no avail for the reasons stated below.

The usual double-pane units were produced, for example, -by spraying acopper alloy, usually a copper titanium alloy, in a liquid conditionupon the edges of the glass panes, by then applying thereon moltensoldering tin in the form of droplets, and by finally connecting theedges by means of solder with a metallic spacing strip, preferably oflead. The spraying of the copper alloy was carried out by means of aspray gun. The soldering tin, after being applied in droplets, wasironed out or applied with a soldering iron.

3,044,159 Patented July 17, 1962 vof expansion, and since veryconsiderable tensions thus occur in the glass, it has so far beenimpossible by means of the known methods to produce double-pane glassunits which consisted of wire-reinforced glass.

Thus it was found to be extremely unfavorable that, even when thewire-reinforced glass panes were previously cut and subsequently ybrokenolf, very ne cracks occurred at the cut edge, and that these line crackswould then continue to run inwardly dueto the heat treatment and wouldcompletely destroy the glass panes.

It has now been found according to the present invention thatdouble-pane glass units of wire-reinforced glass may also be produced bymodifying the method which vhas previously been used.

The method according to the present invention of producing double-paneglass units especially of wire-reinforced glass, at rst follows the samesteps as the prior method. Thus, at first a copper alloy, preferably acopper-titanium alloy is sprayed upon the edges of the glass panes bymeans of a spray gun, whereupon the soldering tin is applied and theedges are connected to the metallic spacingstrip by means of solder.

However, as distinguished from the prior method, the method according tothe present invention further consists in binding and, if necessary,iinishing the cut edges of the wire-reinforced ,glass panes before thecopper coating is being applied. It has been found that, by suchtreatment, all the unevennesses of the edges which were caused by thepreliminary treatment, and especially by the cutting of the panes, willbe avoided and that thereby the occurrence of the usual line cracks inthe edges may lbe entirely prevented.

According to the present invention, it has further been found to Ibe ofa very great advantage if the edges of the glass panes will be heatedfrom the outside, for example,

by flames, before the metals are being applied thereon, as well asduring and after such application of the metals. Such heating of the cutedges has even the advantage that any small cracks or iissures whichmight have occurred in the edge portions will be fused together and willthus be healed.

Evidently, the method according to the present invention is applicablenot only to double-pane glass units but also to multiple-pane insulatingunits. It is -also within the scope of the present invention not to makeall of the glass panes of the unit of wire-reinforced glass but to applytherein only a single wire-reinforced glass pane.

According to the present invention, it will now be possible to produceinsulating glass which can also be used for horizontal or inclinedwindow installations so that even large roofs of manufacturing plants,hangars, and the like may now be covered with wire-reinforced insulatingglass. Thus it will now also be possible on such glass windows toprevent the formation of a moisture coating caused by condensation andto reduce considerably theamount of heat required to heat the roomswhich are covered by such glass roofs or windows.

The features of the present invention' as above described in detail areillustrated diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURES l and 2 show perspective views of Vparts Vof composed of a paneof plate glass 1 and a pane of Wirereinforced glass 2. The two panes ofglass are combined With each other by means of a metallic spacingstrip 3which isY connected to both panes by means of solder.

The embodiment of the invention as illustrated in FIG- URE 2 differsvfrom that shown in FIGURE 1 merely by the fact that both panes 1 and 2consist of Wire-reinforced glass. Both drawings also indicate that theedges of the Wire-reinforced glass panes have been finished and providedwith a binding.

, Also my invention has been illustrated and described with reference tothe preferred embodiment thereof, I wish to have it understood that itis in no way limited to the details of such embodiment, but is capableof numerous modiiications within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully disclosed my invention, what I claim is:V

i1. A methodV of fabricating double-pane insulating glass units at leastone of the panes of which consists of Wire-reinforced glass, whichincludes the steps of providing a pair of glass panes at least one ofwhich is a wire-reinforced glass pane having cut edges, mechanicallygrinding the edge portions of the cut edges of said Wire-reinforcedglass pane, smoothing and polishing said ground edge portions wherebysaid wire-reinforced glass pane acquires aborder and becomescrackresistant, spraying copper alloy in liquid form on to the edges ofsaid crack-resistant pane, applying thereover soldering tin, rrnlypositioning a metallic spacer strip betweentwo of said panes whilemaintaining the said panes in juxtaposed parallel position, and sealingthe same to form a unitary structure.

2. Method according to claim l which comprises externally heating saidground, smoothed and polished glass edge prior to application of thecopper alloy and soldering tin thereto, said heating being efected to atemperature suicient toV fuse any small crack which might be formed onapplication of the copper alloy rand soldering tin.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. A METHOD OF FABRICATING DOUBLE-PANE INSULATION GLASS UNITS AT LEASTONE OF THE PANES OF WHICH CONSISTS OF WIRE-REINFORCED GLASS, WHICHINCLUDES THE STEPS OF PROVIDING A PAIR OF GLASS PANS AT LEAST ONE OFWHICH IS A WIRE-REINFORCED GLASS PANE HAVING CUT EDGES, MECHANICALLYGRINDING THE EDGE PORTIONS OF THE CUT EDGES OF SAID WIRE-REINFORCEDGLASS PANE, SMOOTHING AND POLISHING SAID GROUND EDGE PORTIONS WHEREBYSAID WIRE-REINFORCED GLASS PANE ACQUIRES A BORDER AND BECOMESCRACKRESISTANT, SPRAYING COPPER ALLOY IN LIQUID FORM ON TO THE EDGES OFSAID CRACK-RESISTANT PANE, APPLYING THEREOVER SOLDERING TIN, FIRMLYPOSITIONING A METALLIC SPACER STRIP BETWEEN TWO OF SAID PANES WHILEMAINTAINING THE SAID PANE IN JUXTAPOSED PARALLEL POSITION, AND SEALINGTHE SAME TO FORM A UNITARY STRUCTURE.